Corporate Responsibility

Virgin America is committed to doing business in a way that is consistent with our values and those of our stakeholders. It’s not enough to be a great airline – we also want to be a great neighbor.

Community

Virgin America is committed to conducting business in a way that is consistent with our values and supports a variety of worthy causes and community organizations, including Stand Up to Cancer, Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area, San Francisco Animal Care & Control, Carbonfund.org, Virgin Unite and the KIPP – Knowledge is Power Program. Our guests can donate to all of our charitable partners via Virgin America’s “Make a Difference” section on its Red™ in-flight entertainment system.

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) raises funds to speed the pace of groundbreaking, translational research to accelerate the delivery of new therapies to patients and save lives. SU2C brings together scientists from different disciplines across various institutions to work collaboratively – rather than competitively – at a critical time in the field of cancer research. For more information on SU2C, check out www.standup2cancer.org. Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and Virgin America began a unique partnership in 2010 to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. As SU2C’s Official Domestic Airline partner, Virgin America (with Virgin Unite) has pledged to support SU2C’s mission through a multi–year in–kind travel partnership, Company fundraising and other joint efforts to drive awareness and funding for lifesaving cancer research. Virgin America flight guests can visit the Shop “Make a Difference” section on the Red platform, choose a donation, swipe a credit card and join the fight to bring an end to cancer – right from their seatback touch–screen. 100% of the funds go to cancer research and efforts designed to speed groundbreaking treatments to patients.

As part of Virgin America’s continuing efforts to incorporate sustainability practices across our business, we have partnered with Carbonfund.org, the nation’s leading nonprofit carbon offset provider, to allow travelers the option to offset the environmental impact of their flight. For more information on carbon offsets, check out www.carbonfund.org.

Since 2010, Virgin America teammates have assisted San Francisco Animal Care and Control (ACC) by escorting nearly 100 Chihuahua pups from San Francisco to New York on Virgin America flights so they could be adopted into loving homes. The overpopulation of Chihuahuas in California continues to force animal shelters on the West Coast to look to shelters on the East Coast for help — where there is demand for the dogs among apartment-dwelling New Yorkers. As the only San Francisco-based airline, Virgin America first teamed up with the SFACC to fly needy pups to new homes on the East Coast in 2010 to help address the influx of dogs at shelters on the West Coast. For more information on San Francisco Animal Care and Control, check out www.sfgov2.org.

Virgin America is a proud partner of TEAM Schools (KIPP NJ), our new Newark neighbors. KIPP NJ’s five public charter schools serve over 1,800 students in Newark in grades K – 12. The schools have sent over 80 percent of their students to college. In honor of its launch of service to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in 2013, Virgin America invited some of the students that participate in the summer trips. Virgin America sponsors were on-hand to join Virgin’s “Entrepreneur-in-Chief” – Sir Richard Branson for the flight celebration and Google+ hangout. To learn more, apply to teach, apply to enroll, get involved or support visit www.teamschools.org.

In 2013, Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area launched a partnership with San Francisco's hometown airline, Virgin America, to fly children to have their wishes fulfilled all across the country. The new "Official Airline of Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area" is donating free flights to the charitable organization over 2013-2014 and Virgin America teammates will treat families to a special, personalized VIP experience so their entire "wish trip" is fun from check-in to touchdown. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area children flying Virgin America will receive curbside check-in, special gift bags, VIP escort service, early boarding, special attention from the airline's award-winning guest service and in-flight teammates as well as complimentary meal service onboard. Make-A-Wish expects to send up to five wish children and their family members a month on Virgin America flights. For more information, visit: www.sfwish.org.